Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s beloved classic A Canterbury Tale
is a profoundly personal journey to Powell’s bucolic birthplace of Kent,
England. Set amid the tumult of the Second World War, yet with a rhythm as
delicate as a lullaby, the film follows three modern-day incarnations of
Chaucer’s pilgrims—a melancholy “landgirl,” a plainspoken American GI, and a
resourceful British sergeant—who are waylaid in the English countryside en route
to the mythical town and forced to solve a bizarre village crime. Building to a
majestic climax that ranks as one of the filmmaking duo’s finest achievements,
the dazzling A Canterbury Tale has acquired a following of devotees
passionate enough to qualify as pilgrims themselves.

***

Master Film creators Michael Powell and Emeric
Pressburger made an homage to Powell's native Canterbury wrapped inside a
closet-mystery adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Four
modern pilgrims on a quest that briefly unites them. A film that you never
really want to end.out of

Very nearly plotless, this 1944 film by Michael
Powell and Emeric Pressburger represents one of the few times the narrative
cinema has approached the lyrical ideal. Crossing wartime Britain, a group of
travelers--including an American GI, a young woman from London, and an English
officer--linger in a small farming village, ostensibly to solve a peculiar
mystery (someone is putting glue in the local girls' hair), but really because
of the spell (quite literal, in P and P's mystical vision) cast upon them by the
countryside. Over the hill lies Canterbury Cathedral, and as parallels begin to
emerge with Chaucer's pilgrims, the characters find themselves being drawn to
it, for a soft-pedaled climax that represents the fulfillment of their
individual quests. Strange and wonderful.

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The
Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Carlton

Bitrate:

Criterion

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)

English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)

Subtitles

None

English,
none

Features

Release Information:Studio: Carlton Visual Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Trailer
ad for Carlton's Silver Collection

DVD Release Date: November 10th, 1999Keep Case
Chapters: 15

Release Information:Studio: Criterion

Aspect Ratio:Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie
• Excerpts from the American Version, with Kim Hunter
• Video interview with actress Sheila Sim
• A Pilgrim’s Return, a documentary about John Sweet, by Nick Burton and
Eddie McMillan
• A Canterbury Trail, a new documentary visiting the film locations, by
David Thompson
• Listen to Britain, 2001 video installation piece inspired by A
Canterbury Tale, by artist Victor Burgin
• Listen to Britain, a 1942 documentary by Humphrey Jennings
• Liner notes booklet featuring essays by Graham Fuller, Peter von Bagh,
and actor John Sweet

DVD Release Date: July 25th, 2006
Double thick Keep Case
Chapters: 18

Comments:

ADDITION:
Criterion - Region 1- NTSC - July 2006: -
Well, there are huge
differences between these two releases. The Criterion is infinitely
superior in every area. Unfortunately, the NTSC DVD is windowboxed -
which has become a common practice for Criterion's older 1.33 films. For
a detailed description of window-boxing see our
Kind Heart and Coronets review
HERE. Although we are against the practice - we cannot refute
Criterion's digital superiority in bringing us the best films, with the
best image... and best supplements.

As far as
the image goes I can't add anything that you cannot see in the captures
below. I think I nabbed all the capture matches accurately but I may be
off a frame here or there - hence I decided to add many more than usual.
I believe the prints may be different as the damages marks never seem to
be the same. Criterion does have instances where they do show damage -
usually in the form of light vertical scratches. There is some
flickering of contrast and I see slight frame shifts with neither gaining
the upper hand in cropping. Overall nothing seem to matter as much as
the sharpness factor - Criterion have done some spot manipulation but
contrast is still pristine. Occasional digital noise can be seen later in the
film. In direct comparison the Carlton is very hazy.

The Ian Christie
commentary on the main DVD is quite good, as are all the extra features
on the 2nd disc. Christie is very well-prepared and has an excellent
clear and lightly-accented voice. At times he can be a bit dry but I
very much enjoyed hearing his insights. He can really go into detail
about the geographical region at times. Christie really knows his stuff.
Of the other supplements - the US version excerpts are kind of
interesting - although I can't imagine the film with Kim Hunter now. I
enjoyed listening to the Humphrey Jennings audio stuff. All the
Shelia Sim interview, the 'Pilgrimage' and the 'trail' featurettes are
all very warm and a delight to see. They kind of captures the same
homey/small town feeling of the film.

Overall, this is another
of my favorite Powell and Pressburger films and I encourage everyone to
watch it in the best possible digital representation available - that
would be the Criterion. I wouldn't allow the windowboxing to discourage
you in this case - the film looks too good and the extras are at
Criterions highest level.